Work on a new boathouse, restaurant space, and extended visitor car park at Kings Mill Reservoir, Sutton, is under way.

The project forms part of Ashfield District Council’s £62.6m Towns Fund programme.

Modern, accessible changing facilities for water sports and a meeting/training room on the ground floor, with restaurant and function space on the first floor, will feature in the new building.

The plans will support activities including sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking, and open water swimming at the reservoir.

The new facilities are due to be completed during the summer of 2024 and will complement the expansion of the Mill Adventure Base to include new outdoor activities.

Coun Samantha Deakin, executive lead for Parks and Environmental Services said: “The plans for Kings Mill Reservoir are extremely exciting. We can’t wait to be able to open up the offer of a variety of great new activities to visitors.

“The location of the new restaurant will be a fantastic addition to the reservoir and will bring in even more visitors to Ashfield.

“The demolition and construction phases of this project will be done sensitively to ensure none of the resident wildlife will be disturbed.”

Coun Matthew Relf, executive lead for Growth, Regeneration and Local Planning, added: “This is another milestone for our plans to make Mill Waters one of the top tourist destinations in the East Midlands.

“We want to hear from clubs or individuals are keen to get involved in developing and running water sports activities at the reservoir.”

If you are interested in developing and delivering water sports activities at the reservoir, email [email protected]